“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Benjamin Franklin- founding father, swimmer, inventor of fins and hand paddles.
Eddie Reese the coach of The University of Texas just won his eleventh NCAA Swimming title. When I asked him how you know if the taper is going to work, he responded, “You as the coach must believe, and if you believe, your swimmers will believe. The magic is in the belief”.
Faith
Faith is the belief in the unknown. You have done the training, the work, the hay, they say, is in the barn. Food has been your fuel. Routine has been your solace. Let go, let it happen.
Trust
Trust your coach, the program, yourself, the vision of your coach, the vision of your program. Let go. Don’t make it happen, let it happen.
Pixie Dust
Pixie Dust – the golden glitter like powder that grants the ability of flight. Let go, be open to the magic. Believe.
As a Masters swimmer, I find speed and strength seem to elude me daily. Even more so during a taper where speed and rest increase, and life never seems to decrease.
Taper Tips
Here are some tips for a successful taper:
- Strength work. Keep up the strength work. Light weights or cables should be continued.
- Calories. Be cognizant of your calories. Still eat to fuel the machine, not appease the cookie monster. Don’t add on weight.
- Clear your head. Go to movies, meditate, or go to the park with your kids and/or the dogs. Do activities that clear your head. Think of it as an automatic reset button. Sir Roger Bannister went climbing days before he broke the 4 minute mile running in order to clear his head.
- Find a tune up meet or event. Your pacing changes as you age. What used to be easy now can seem more labor intensive. Get to know yourself again.
To activate the Pixie Dust, just like in Peter Pan you must think happy thoughts. Control and regulate your mind. Now let it happen.
tapering for open water is tricky. sometimes not swimming the travel day seems enough but occasionally i’ll drop my distance the week before as well. do you have any suggestions for 10k distances and above?